Top pilot cover plate



March 24, 1953 E; CHAMBERS 2,632,438

I TOP PILOT COVER PLATE Filed D80. 10, 1948 V 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 a R a J. E. CHAMBERS TOP PILOT COVER PLATE March 24, 1-953 2 SHEETS-SI-1EET 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1948 L m rwww n r/ .L a w m Wfl m H JH m w 11: I i 1A m I Q; a. @:w Q 1 I IIflII Q, w @l Q Patented Mar. 24, 1953 TOP PILOT COVER PLATE John E. Chambers, Shelbyville, Ind., assignor to Chambers Corporation, a corporation of Indiana Application December 10, 1948, Serial No. 64,545

1 i This invention relates to a top pilot cover plate, and has particular reference to means for locating the various top burner gratesrelative to the top burners. V

It has been customary to position the grates for top burners in gas stoves so that the grate fingers will be aligned with the spaces between the individual burner elements of the burners. This arrangement addsto the life of the grates because the grate fingersare not directly over the flame. The positioning of the grate fingers between the individual sources of flame also provides maximum heating efficiency for the cooking vessel on top of the gratebecause the flames are not intercepted by the grate fingers.

The grates have heretofore been placed in predetermined position relative to the burners by providing either a notch or a projection on each grate, and aninterengaging.projection or notch on the stove, top adjacent the burner opening.

vide a toppilot cover plate with notches on its outer edge that are adapted to receive the outer extremities of the long fingers of the top burner grates surrounding the top pilot cover plate.

The grates are properly located without any special projection or notch being required on any of the grates and without the necessity of providing a notch or projection on the stove top adjacent each grate.

Another advantage of the present structure is the capabilityof the toppilot cover plate to support a cooking vessel at the same level as the top burner grates so that there is very little danger of spilling the content of a cooking vessel in movingit from any top burner grate to the top pilot cover plate or from the top pilot cover plate to any top burner grate.

The structure by which the above advantages are attained will be describedin the following specification, taken in conjunction with the' accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary detail perspective showing one of the grate fingers and the top pilotcover plate having a notch to receive the end of the grate finger;

7 pilot cover plate, with one finger from each grate interengaged with a notch in the top pilot cover plate;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail perspective view 4 Claims. (Cl. 126214) showing the underside of the top pilot cover plate, with thepilot shield removed, and a portion of the stove top in which the top pilot cover plate is adapted to be positioned; Y Fig.4 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the relationship bee tween the pilot light, the pilot light cover plate, and the adjacent burners and grates;

' Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing a modified form of top pilot cover plate positioned in the stove top; I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view,

taken along the line 86 of Fig. 5, showing the top pilot plate spaced above the openingin the stove top in solid lines, and in the opening in stove top, showing in dotted lines the radial spokes of the top pilot plate as positioned in the opening. 3 i

In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates the top of a stove havin a plurality of top burners 3 arranged around a pilot light 4. The

pilot light is connectedto each of the top burners by a flash tube 5. The top burners may be of any shape or style, but are shown as having four individual chimney burners '6. 'A top grade I is positioned over each burner 3.

Each grate comprises an annular member 8 and a plurality of alternate long and short grate fingers 9 and i8 integral therewith, or secured thereto in, any suitable manner. The annular member seats on a ledge ll extending inwardly around each burner opening I2. ,As shown in Fig. 2, grate fingers 9 are positioned between individual chimney burners 6 to protect them from direct contact with the flames from the burners, andto provide maximum heating efficiency for each burner by not deflecting the flame. The means for facilitating this alignment of the grate fingers with the individual chimney. burners, and

.for. preventing accidental rotational displacement of the grates comprises the essential feature of the present invention. 1

centrally of the side, adapted to receive the end of a grate finger 9 from each grate. The concave sides of the top pilot cover plate facilitate the entry of the grate fingers in the notches.

A locating pin I6 projecting downwardly from the underside of cover plate l4 fits into a locating hole II to properly position the cover plate and to prevent it from rotating. It will be obvious that pin l6 and hole l1 ma be reversed, or any other suitable means may be used to locate cover plate I4 or to keep it from rotating relative to the stove top.

Cover plate M is preferably provided with openings l8 so that the pilot light may be used to keep a pot or dish warm. The openings It also prevent the top of the stove from getting overheated by the constantly burning pilot light because they permit the heat from the pilot light to escape to the atmosphere. Radial spokes i9 fitting into stove top opening [3 hold the cover plate therein. A shield 20 secured to cover plate H3 serves to protect the pilot light from drafts and from liquids that may be spilled on the top of the stove.

As shown in Fig. 4, the top of cover plate 14 has flush with the tops of grates I so that a cooking vessel may be pushed from any grate across the cover plate and to any other grate without any appreciable danger of spilling its contents.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the stove top is provided with a square opening 2!. The top pilot cover plate 22 is substantially the same as cover plate 14 but no locating pin and hole are necessary because radial spokes l9 fit in the corners of opening 2i and are prevented from rotating by the square shape of the opening. As in the embodiment previously described, each side of cover plate 22 is notched, as indicated at l5, to engage the ends of grate fingers 9.

Although the illustrated form of burner described above is of the type having four individual chimneys, it will be obvious that the advantages of the invention herein described may be utilized with other types of burners.

Although I have described two preferred embodiments of my invention in considerable detail, the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed, without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention. Thus, for example, stove top opening 2| may have any non-circular shape and the shape and arrangement of the radial spokes [9 may be such as to interengage with the sides of the opening and thereby prevent the cover plate from rotating. Accordingly, 'I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structure described.

I claim:

1. In combination with a stove top having a plurality of apertures therein, a top pilot cover plate positioned in one of said apertures, interengaging means on said stove top and said top pilot cover plate to prevent rotational movement of said top pilot cover plate, a plurality of notches in the edges of said top pilot cover plate, and a grate positioned in each of the other of said apertures, each of said grates having a plurality of grate fingers extending horizontally beyond the diameter of the aperture in which its grate is positioned, the ends of said grate fingers being individually engageable with one of said notches to prevent rotational movement of said grate.

2. In combination with a stov top having a plurality of apertures therein, a top pilot cover plate positioned in one of said apertures with its marginal edge portions overlying said stove top adjacent the aperture in which said top pilot cover plate is positioned, an opening in the portion of said stove top which said top pilot cover overlies, a projection rigidly secured to the underside of said top pilot cover plate, said projection fitting in said opening in said stove top to secure said top pilot cover plate against rotational movement, a plurality of notches in the marginal edge of said top cover pilot plate, and a plurality of grates positioned in the other apertures in said stove top, each of said grates having a grate finger engageable with one of said notches to prevent rotational movement of said grates.

3. In combination with a stove top having a non-circular opening, a top pilot cover plate having a depending portion fitting into said opening and held against rotation, a plurality of notches in the outside edge of said cover plate, and a plurality of grates each having grate fingers individually engageable with said notches to hold said grates against rotational displacement.

4. In combination with a stove top having a plurality of openings each receiving a top burner grate, another opening positioned equidistant from said first mentioned openings, a top pilot cover plate having a depending portion fitting into said second mentioned aperture and held against rotation, a plurality of notches in the peripheral edge of said cover plate, and a plurality of grate fingers on each of said grates, said fingers being individually engageable with said notches to hold said grates against rotational displacement.

JOHN E. CHAMBERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,125,726 'Ruppel .Jan. 19, 1915 2,019,381 Antrim Oct. v29, 1935 2,430,079 Reeves Nov. 4:, 1947 2,434,627 Schickler Jan. 13, 1948 2,480,046 Reeves Aug. 23, 1949 

